More Disgusting Photos





My emotions have not been steady as I, along with the rest of the world, have seen and reacted to the photos of prisoners being mistreated in Iraq. As yet, the pendulum of these emotions has yet to cross the mid-point from shame to acceptance.

The closest I come to this is the knowledge that others have suffered greater horror at the hands of (in some cases) these very men. Or I wonder if such treatment is in fact a deterrent since many in these cultures view death as a reward.

But frankly, even in the flicker of such thoughts, I cannot escape the shame. I am ashamed that Americans can find it within themselves to inflict humiliation and torture on other humans. I am ashamed that people anywhere can be this cruel.

As I think about it, this is one of the reactions I had to seeing The Passion of the Christ, a news story no less real and much more compelling. I came away feeling ashamed that other members of the human race were ever capable of such cruelty.

I mentioned this to my dad and he reminded me that evil men have treated each other horribly all through history even since the Roman soldiers scourged Jesus. Names of evil notoriety still haunt us. Hitler, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein, Mussolini. Their victims cannot be numbered.

But one person bore not only the shame of the victims, but the disgrace of their tormentors. He did so willingly and with full awareness of the consequences. The same power is sufficient for any situation we can or cannot imagine today as well. I hope we see that first-hand. Quickly.